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It’s been merely a week since my indulgent trip to Durban, and even though I can still taste the flavoursome falafels and abundantly stuffed roti’s, I’ve managed to shake off the two killer kg’s they caused. A bit of exercise and a healthy vegan meal plan truly works miracles around your waistline! Since last Monday, I opted for whole foods: rolled oats with fresh fruit, homemade pesto on pasta or corn crackers, steamed veggies, fluffy buckwheat, starchy soups and superfood smoothies. Fine, I admit I also had a burger and two glasses of Chardonnay at a friend’s birthday braai 😛

Luckily for me, I really don’t have a sweet tooth – but every oh-so-often the sugar bug bites. Yesterday, after a big Sunday lunch with the family, I craved decadence. The vegan-friendly biscuits in our sweetie drawer called my name, but as I really didn’t want to mess up a week’s worth of hard work, I choose a healthier option instead. Avo-chocolate mousse may sound revolting, but I promise you it’s ridiculously delicious. I’ve made it for fussy friends before and they truly loved it. Even a small serving will satisfy your desire for sweetness, but no-one will judge you for eating it all 😉 Made from 100% whole foods, this dessert is enjoyed guilt-free!

Today I played around in the kitchen with two of my favourite Superfoods: Raw Cocao and dried Goji berries. It is actually so hard to pick my preferences as there are so many superfoods that I adore and each one … Continue reading →

I don’t have the sweetest tooth, but I do adore a bit of chocolate every once in a blue moon. Before going vegan, I loved the Lindt Chocolate balls that melt away in your mouth and so I knew that I needed to find an alternative real soon! This chocolate & avocado truffle was my first attempt in creating a melt-in-your-mouth replica. It is super easy and you don’t need a lot of complicated ingredients. I found it online and amended it slightly according to how I found the cooking experience.

– Doesn’t it look gorgeous?

I also made them just in time for Valentine’s Day! I took two of the biggest truffles and wrapped them beautifully for Sebastian – I just couldn’t wait till Friday so I surprised him with it yesterday. I was a bit nervous at what he was going to say, but he actually loved them! Non-vegan approval received! Just a warning, if you are giving them as a gift, you need to instruct the lucky receiver to leave it in the fridge until they eat it as it WILL melt. Another idea is to serve it up as dessert during your Valentine’s Day dinner – it goes deliciously with vegan ice cream or coconut whipped cream.

Hope you have as much fun making them as I did, and if you have any suggestions, kindly do share them in the comment section below!

NOTE: You can also add brown sugar to make the truffles sweeter, but I as I am not a sweet tooth I didn’t

– Super easy!

INSTRUCTIONS:

Prepping:

Boil a kettle of water for melting the chocolate in a double boiler

Blend the avocado into a smooth consistency. (If you do not have a food processor, you can mash the avocado with a fork)

Prepare the coating ingredients into a rolling bowl

Cut the wax paper to fit into the tray or plate

Cooking:

Brake chocolate into smaller pieces and melt it in a double boiler over low heat

Add the pinch of salt and vanilla essence

Remove from the heat once the chocolate has melted and add smooth avocado as well as one tablespoon of cacao. (This is where you will add the brown sugar if you wanted to make your truffles sweeter)

Mix the avocado through thoroughly until you have a smooth, thick, pudding-like consistency

Transfer the bowl/pot of chocolate and avocado mixer into the freezer for about 30minutes (This is the time to lick off the spoon and then wash the dishes)

After 30 minutes, check the consistency and if it is still too soft to handle, put it in the freezer for another 5 – 10 minutes

When the chocolate and avocado mixture is the right consistency, scoop up a little bit of the stiffened chocolate with a teaspoon and roll it in your hands into a smooth ball

Transfer the ball to the coating (cocoa power / desiccated coconut / 100’s & 100’s) and roll it until it is completely covered

Place the covered ball onto the baking tray/plate (I would suggest to only roll 4 balls at a time as the chocolate melts very quickly. Put the four balls in the freezer to set, and put the chocolate mix back into the freezer if necessary. Wait 5 – 10 minutes and do another four balls. Continue until all the mixture is done)

Keep the chocolate truffles in the fridge until serving time

Serve the truffles in a beautifully decorated box or as dessert with coconut whipped cream / vegan ice cream

Have fun and ENJOY!

PLEASE remember to help a vegan out and vote for me for the Wellness Warehouse LiveLifeWellompetition! It will only take you 5 mins and I would really appreciate it 🙂 Just click on the VOTE button next to my name (Leozette Roode) here.

Last week I was one of the many health junkies in Cape Town who attended The Magic of Superfoods book launch by Rawlicious at the Wellness Warehouse, Kloof Street. I was so excited as this would be my very first introduction to Superfoods and, as a newbie veggie, I need all the education I can find to make this journey a smooth one. Speaking of smooth, upon arrival we each received the most delicious vegan smoothie – the Supershake Chocolate Milk – along with two (apparently delicious) choccies. I didn’t eat the chocolates as they contained honey, which is technically not vegan – but this launch might have changed my views on that. I’ll get to the honey subject on a later stage though.

Peter and Beryn Daniel, the brains behind Rawlicious, the Superfoods brand and this book, launched The Magic of Superfoods to inspire. Superfoods have been usedfor many many years thought ancient cultures all over the world. “Superfoods are the greatest foods identified by the greatest civilisations that have existed on this earth”. Through the years of technological development, we have become a civilisation that lost our touch with nature. Our fast-paced lives have become custom to microwavable TV dinners and eating to feel full and move on instead of to think about what we put into our bodies to nourish it naturally. Luckily and since only recently, we find ourselves in the privileged situation where health consciousness, green living and raw foods are slowly but surely making their return. The foreword of Superfoods states that t is our responsibility to grab hold of this opportunity to review, correct and perfect what the previous generation has handed to us and prepare it for the new generation to enhance their living.

This is what The Magic of Superfoods teaches us. During the launch Peter introduced us briefly to the 16 superfoods discussed in the book. Each chapter of the book covers a different superfood. It tells us about the history of the superfood and how it was found and used in ancient times, it educates us of the magic of the superfood and its healing powers, how to plant, grow and prep each superfood and then, finally, it shares the family’s favourite superfood recipes before moving on to the next superfood chapter. The 16 superfoods are:

Aloe

Baobab

Goji Berries

Chia

Berries

Blue-green algae

Camu camu

Grasses and microgreens

Hemp

Coconut

Sea vegetables

Maca

Lucuma

Mesquite

Bee products

Raw cacao

Do not stress if you have no clue what some of them are – I also haven’t heard of some of them, but when you read the book you will see how easy it is to use these funny-sounding foods. Each superfood has been tried and tested by ancient wisdom over thousands of years and this book itself, is inspired by the pure results of the superfood. The book is also filled with the most beautiful poems and illustrations by Alexis Aronson. The Magic of Superfoods is more than a recipe book providing us with steps on how to cook, but rather it is a book of art, teaching us how to adopt a lifestyle of incorporating superfoods and conclusively creating xxx living. We all know that the food we eat consumes us and, even though this is an overused cliché, we ultimately are what we eat. Nature does not make mistakes and if you read and follow this book, you can understand how the superfoods, provided by nature, will enrich your health and your life.

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Thank you Peter (and Beryn) for the introduction to and demonstration of the superfoods (and for signing my beautiful book). I have already read most of it and played around with several of the recipes. All I can say is than within a week, Chia seeds have become my new best friend!

I encourage all to buy this book and let it change your life for the better. The Magic of Superfoods is available at The Wellness Warehouse in Kloof Street, Cape Town, for a mere R297.00. You can also buy it online and get it delivered at your door here.